Moving laser beam readers or laser scanners, as well as solid-state imaging systems or imaging readers, have both been used, in both handheld and hands-free modes of operation, to electro-optically read targets, such as one- or two-dimensional bar code symbols to be decoded. The bar code symbols have different bar and space patterns that are used to represent different characters, such as alpha-numeric characters on a keyboard. Sets of these patterns are grouped together to form a symbology. There are many types of bar code symbologies, each having their own special characteristics and features. Most symbologies are designed to meet the needs of a specific application or industry.
The known moving laser beam reader generally includes a housing, a window supported by the housing, and a data capture assembly or laser scan engine in the housing for electro-optically capturing data from a target. The data capture assembly includes a laser for emitting a laser beam through the window, a focusing lens assembly for focusing the laser beam to form a beam spot having a certain size at a focal plane in a range of working distances relative to the window, a scan component for repetitively scanning the beam spot across the target in a scan pattern, for example, a scan line, across the target multiple times per second, e.g., forty times per second, a photodetector for detecting return light reflected and/or scattered from the target and for converting the detected light into an analog electrical signal, and signal processing circuitry including a digitizer for digitizing the analog signal, and a microprocessor or controller for decoding the digitized signal based upon a specific symbology used for the target to identify the target, and for transmitting the decoded signal, either via a wireless or wired link, to a remote host for further processing, e.g., price retrieval from a price database to obtain a price for the identified target.
The known imaging reader also generally includes a housing, a window supported by the housing, and a data capture assembly or imaging scan engine in the housing. The data capture assembly includes a solid-state imager (or image sensor) with a sensor array of photocells or light sensors (also known as pixels), and an imaging lens assembly for capturing return light scattered and/or reflected from the target being imaged through the window over an imaging field of view, and for projecting the return light onto the image sensor to initiate capture of an image of the target over a range of working distances in which the target can be read. Such an image sensor may include a one-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device and associated circuits for producing and processing electrical signals corresponding to a one-dimensional array of pixel data over the imaging field of view. These electrical signals are decoded and/or processed by a programmed microprocessor or controller into information related to the target being read, e.g., decoded data identifying the target. The controller is operative for transmitting the decoded data, either via a wireless or wired link, to a remote host for further processing, e.g., price retrieval from a price database to obtain a price for the identified target.
Each host is typically supported by a keyboard operatively connected to the host, which is typically a server or a computer running an operating system. The keyboard typically includes a typewriter-style arrangement of keys to which letters, numbers, signs, and commands are assigned, and is used for manually entering information for the host. Such information could include system control/command/update information, as well as the decoded data of the target. Sometimes, a target cannot be read by the reader, and it is therefore at such times necessary for a user to manually enter the decoded data by keyboard entry to enable the target to be identified, and the transaction to be completed.
Just as the keyboard is an input device for the host, both types of readers are also input devices for the host, and it is desired that each reader be configured as a keyboard device having a keyboard layout, which is the same as for the keyboard. However, one concern relates to the many different keyboard layouts that exist internationally, and to the multitude of keyboard layout data that exists in each keyboard layout. At present, there are over eighty international keyboard layouts. Each country has at least one, and sometimes, more than one, keyboard layout. Each keyboard layout can contain hundreds of bytes of keyboard layout data.
To configure a reader as a keyboard device having a particular keyboard layout, it is possible to hard-code the keyboard layout into firmware, e.g., an internal microprocessor of the reader. Yet, the requirement for extra memory storage in the microprocessor is an undesirable cost burden, especially in the case where it is required to make the reader as inexpensive and as compact as possible. It is also known to configure a reader by having the reader read a single configuration symbol during a configuration procedure prior to reading the targets. Yet, in the context of making an imaging reader as inexpensive and as compact as possible, it is desirable for the sensor array to be one-dimensional, in which case, the configuration symbol may have to also be one-dimensional. It is possible, for certain specially designed readers, for the configuration symbol to be a PDF417 symbol, but even this symbol is essentially a stacked one-dimensional symbol. However, a single one-dimensional configuration symbol cannot contain all the hundreds of bytes of keyboard layout data in the keyboard layout to be uploaded.
It is still further known to configure a reader by having the reader read a plurality of one-dimensional configuration symbols during the configuration procedure. Yet, this has also not proven to be entirely effective in all cases, because sometimes the user misses one or more of the configuration symbols, thereby causing the keyboard layout to be incomplete.
Accordingly, there is a need to reliably configure a reader, especially a miniaturized, highly compact, and inexpensive reader for electro-optically reading one-dimensional targets, as a keyboard device having a selected keyboard layout.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.